Booker Rowe, 79, the Philadelphia Orchestra’s first Black musician, to retire after half a century

“It was 1968 when Booker Rowe, a freelance violinist in New York, got the call … with a question from music director Eugene Ormandy,” writes Peter Dobrin in Thursday’s (8/27) Philadelphia Inquirer. “Did Rowe want to come to Philadelphia to audition? … Come and play he did…. After a half century as a member of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Rowe, 79, will retire next month,” along with six other orchestra members. “Rowe is one of a small handful of Black players in a largely Black city…. The Philadelphia Orchestra will now have just three Black members…. The orchestra believes Rowe was the first Black musician to play in the ensemble when he first performed with the group as a substitute in the 1968-69 season…. What the future composition of the ensemble might be is part of a larger examination. ‘A year ago … the Philadelphia Orchestra began a process called IDEAS—Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access Strategies,’ said orchestra president and CEO Matías Tarnopolsky in a statement…. ‘We are committed to ensuring that new, diverse talent can be found to fill vacancies in the orchestra.’ Rowe is more concise. ‘I am hoping they will fill some of those positions with qualified African Americans,’ he said.”